Darko Tresnjak to Direct World Premiere of Taylor Mac's PROSPEROUS FOOLS at TFANA

Theatre for a New Audience has named Darko Tresnjak as director of the world premiere of Prosperous Fools. Written by and starring incomparable force of theatrical nature Taylor Mac, and inspired by Molière's Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, the production begins June 1, 2025, at Polonsky Shakespeare Center, TFANA's home.

Prosperous Fools is a brilliant exploration of philanthropy and its hypocrisies—a retooled comedy of manners for an age with no manners.

Taylor Mac commented, “I've been a fan of Darko's work for many years. He's the kind of director who is endlessly inventive yet grounded in text. Plus his comic chops are exquisite. I can't wait.”

Jeffrey Horowitz observed, “I am excited that Darko will be collaborating with Taylor Mac for the first time. Both artists love humor, satire, language, and theatricality. Darko, who has been artistic director at two American non-profit theatres, knows first-hand the pressures of art and philanthropy. He has developed both new work and classics and has also staged Molière: Amphitryon, translated by Richard Wilbur, for the Huntington Theatre.”

For TFANA, in 2007, Tresnjak directed All's Well that Ends Well; in 2008, The Merchant of Venice featuring F. Murray Abraham as Shylock, which played in New York and at The Royal Shakespeare Company's Complete Works Festival and then in 2011 on a national tour. In 2009, he staged Antony and Cleopatra, and in 2014, Ionesco's The Killer, featuring Michael Shannon, Paul Sparks, and Kristine Nielsen, for which he won an OBIE for Outstanding Direction. 

Tresnjak won a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, and an Outer Critics Circle Award for his direction of A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, which played on Broadway from November 2013 through January 2016 and won the Tony Award for Best Musical. Recent projects include collaborations with playwrights Samuel Baum (The Engagement Party, at The Geffen Playhouse), Sarah Gancher (Russian Troll Farm, at the Vineyard Theatre), and Kyle Jarrow (Noir, at The Alley Theatre).       

From 2004 to 2009, Tresnjak was the Artistic Director of The Old Globe Shakespeare Festival. From 2011 to 2019, he was the Artistic Director of Hartford Stage Company.

As a director of plays, musicals, and operas, Tresnjak has worked at The Public Theater, Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Royal Shakespeare Company, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Geffen Playhouse, Vineyard Theatre Company, Atlantic Theater Company, Alley Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Huntington Theatre Company, Long Wharf Theatre Company, Goodspeed Musicals, Geva Theatre Center, Westport Country Playhouse, Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and Santa Fe Opera. He wrote the book and the lyrics and Oran Eldor wrote the music for Ask for the Moon, a musical comedy that had its world premiere at Goodspeed Musicals' Terris Theatre in July 2024.

TFANA Season Subscriptions

Season subscriptions—with benefits including priority booking, flexible exchange policy, discounted guest tickets, discounts for the Book Kiosk in the Polonsky Shakespeare Center lobby, and more—are available online at tfana.org; by phone at (646) 553-3880; and in person at the box office.

2024-2025 subscription packages:

Four-Play Package ($230): One ticket to each show in the 2024-2025 Season at just $55 per ticket.

Three-Play Package ($184): One ticket to three productions of your choosing at just $58 per ticket.

 Three Play A: We Are Your Robots, Henry IV, The Swamp Dwellers
Three Play B: We Are Your Robots, Henry IV, Prosperous Fools
 Three Play C: We Are Your Robots, The Swamp Dwellers, Prosperous Fools
 Three Play D: Henry IV, The Swamp Dwellers, Prosperous Fools

Flex Pass Package ($250): a four-ticket package for just $60 per ticket. Use them in any combination for any of the shows in the 2024-2025 season.

All sales are final. No refunds. All packages include a $10 convenience fee. This fee covers all transactions associated with the subscription during the 2024-2025 season.

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